Disney+ Romantic Comedy Redefined The Genre For A Generation

Not only did The 40-Year-Old Virgin toss out the old notion of having to change yourself to find love, but it also threw out the script. During the infamous waxing scene, Steve Carell improved all of his reactions as he was legitimately having his chest waxed. Watch Seth Rogan during this scene, and you’ll tell when he had to hide from the camera because he was losing it.

Speaking of Rogan, a conversation between his character and Paul Rudd was also wholly improvised, and while it didn’t age well, it was a quiet breakthrough moment when an entirely improved discussion was part of a major theatrical release. Comedies have used improv for decades, but the cast of The 40-Year-Old Virgin embraced a realistic way that friends would talk to each other, and the result was box office magic.